Universal pump box apparatus



Nov. 21, 1967 w. SONDHEIM 3,3

UNIVERSAL PUMP BOX APPARATUS Filed Oct. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 21, 1967 w. SONDHEIM ,3

UNIVERSAL PUMP BOX APPARATUS 7 Filed Oct. 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ila FIGA.

nessee Filed Oct. 21,,1966, Ser No. 588,515 Claims. (Cl. 248-1) The present invention relates to pump box apparatus, and more particularlytouniversal pumfa box apparatus capable of accommodating a wide variety of gasoline service station installations.

\ In service stations the gasoline dispenser, of pump as it is commonly called, is mounted immediately above a pump box, the top of which is flush with the upper surface of a raised concrete island. The pump box contains a safety valve having an inlet connected to an underground gasoline storage facility and an outlet connected to the gasoline disp'enser mounted on the island. The purpose of the safety valve is to discontinue the flow of gasoline from the underground storage facility to the dispenser upon impacting or overturningof the dispenser or because of excessive heat generated by a lite on or near the island. Although there are several commercial makes of safety valves in common use, each is generally provided with a shear groove which is machined into the valve housing so that the valve will shear at a particular point if overturned, thereby protecting the underground conduits and dispenser mechanism from damage. Some valves'also' have an impact linkage and a fusable link which are adapted tohold a spring loaded valve in an-open position but which will permit the valve to close upon either impact or excessive'heat. The common use of flexible conduits between the safety valve and a gasoline storage tank requires rigid mounting of the valve in the um box so that the valve will close when the dispenser is overturned, et cetera.

Prior art pump boxes are generally designed to accommodate the'specific size and contour of a particular make of safety valve. However, since a plurality of different commercial makes of safety valves are in general use, each being of a different size and -configuration, it has been necessary for pump box manufacturersto produce and stock a' corresponding plurality of different types of purnp boxes. In additiommriltiple pump installations require an even greater number of different pump boxes of the prior art variety. For example,- with four different commercial makes of safety valves available, a pumpbox manufacturer is required to" produce and stock four'different constructions for single pump installations and four different constructions for dual pump inst'allations, thus requiring 'an'inventor'y of at least eight d'ilferent pump box constructions. I g

The. general pur-pose of this invention,,therefore, is'to provide a pump box apparatus which embraces all of the advantages of similarly employed prior art pump boxes but which possessesno'ne of the aforedescribed disadvantages; To attain this, the present invention contemplates a unique universal. pumpboxapparatus which is, easily adjustable in any of three directions to accomrhodate all' commercial makes of safety valves for both single and dual pump installations. In addition, the pump box of the present invention is particularly advantageous for use in installations utilizing flexible underground conduit where a rigid safetyvalve installationis required.

Accordingly, among the several objeets'of'the present invention may benoted the. provision of pumplbox apparatus which is independently adjustable in anyofthree directionsto' properly mount a plurality of idifferent commercial makes of safety valves; the provision of..pum-p box'ap'paratus which is adjustable in situ in a service sta- 3,353,770 Ce Patented Nov. 21 1 967 tio'n island; the provision of pum'p'box apparatus adapted to mount either one or more safety valves; the provision oi a pump'box which holds a safety valve against pivotal movement upon impacting or overturning of a gasoline dispenser above the-valvejthe provision'of a pump box which permits installation of a safety valve either 'before or after the concrete island is formed; and'the provision of a pump box characterized by simplicity'of construction, low cost, high reliability and ease of installation. Other 'objectsand'features will be inpart apparent-and in part pointed out hereinafter. I

V The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are'illustrated. I j H FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing a pump box of the present invention with a safety valve secured thereto; g j FIGURES 2 and 3 are detailed sections of the FIGURE 1 pump box; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a modification. p v

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 7

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a pump box comprising a generally rectangular housing 12 open at both the top and bottom and havingpf'ront and rear want 14 and 16, respectively, and a pair of sidewalls 18. A depending flange member 20 is shown welded along its upper edge to the outside surface of the left side wall 18, and a similar flange member (not shown) is welded to the other side wall. Upon installation, the housin g'12 buried within a concrete isl'andof a service station so that the upper edges of the housing-are'flush with the upper surface of the island. The depending flange members 20 are adapted to engage suitable projections within the island cavity to support the housing.

j The um box housing 2 is provided with apair of opposed end fnountingj'brackets '22 secured, as by welding,' to the rea a d side walls 16 and 15 of the housin 12, each or' theeiid mounting 'brackcts, 22 being provided withajge rauy vertically disposed guide slot 24. clear 1y illustrated FIGURES 1 and 2, the end mounting brackets 22 arespaced from the sidewalls 18over a major portion of theirlengt'h. A mounting,r,ail 2f6 is disposedbetween the end mounting brackets Hand is comprised of spaced upper and lower plates 2 and 30 having a. pair of transverse.endlplates 32 secured theretp. Each of the end plates has two parallel, generally. horizontally disposed elongated s1otsf34 vertically spaced from.ea ch other. As best illustrated in FIGURES 1 and v .'Z,f,the mounting rail%26,,is adjustably secured to the end mountil b rackets 22 by two pair of threaded fasteners orbolts 36 passing'through'the two elongateslots -34 in each end plateand' through the .guide .slots '24 in the brackets and b y two pair of nuts 38 threaded'onthe boltsbearagainst ;washers 39;,Nuts -3 8 are easily reached bya wrench or other tool due to jthe wide space between wall 18: andthe' slot -'24. so that theivalve can be installed and itsposition. adjustedafter ,thebox is in the,island,;]3y providingtwo rslotsia l and two bolts-3Q at each, end offthe rail, undesirable pivotal movement ofthe rail is. avoided The,.entire assembly as described. is contained inside a pump box. Assembly cantherefore't'ake place-before or after concrete is in place. g p j ,1

WA safety valve 4 0. of .conventional construction is secured o. the. mounting -rail 26 7 .Within ,the housing 12. The safety valve 40 has an inlet end 42 which is con- 3 nected by a suitable conduit to an underground gasoline storage tank and an outlet end 44 which is connected to the gasoline dispenser. This latter apparatus and the particular manner of interconnecting valve 40 therewith is conventional and, accordingly, is not shown in the drawings. Safety valve 40 is also provided with a shear groove 46. Preferably the valve is mounted so that groove 46 is disposed in a common plane with the upper edges of the pump box housing 12. The safety valve 40 is secured to the mounting rail 26 by a pair of threaded bolts 48 projecting through holes in the end portions of a wide washer 50 and passing between the upper and lower plates 28 and 30 of the mounting rail 26. Washer 50 is preferably U-shaped in transverse cross section and positioned with its side edges above and below rail plates 28 and 30 as shown in FIGURE 3. As best illustrated in FIGURE 3, the bolts 48 also pass through a pair of apertured end flanges 53 of a generally semicircular clamp band 54. A pair of nuts 56 threaded on bolts 48 engage flanges 52 and, when tightened, pull the clamp band against the valve to rigidly secure the safety valve to mounting rail 26. By using a semicircular band, valves of different diameters are easily accommodated.

FIGURE 4 illustrates a modified embodiment of the invention wherein a pair of clamp bands 54 are provided for securing two safety valves 40 side by side on the mounting rail 26 by the use of a plurality of bolts 48, two U-shaped Washers 59 and nuts 56 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1. This embodiment is used in dual pump installations wherein a single gasoline dispenser housing is utilized for dispensing two different grades of gasoline, e.g., regular and premium. The mounting rail 26 is secured to the pump box housing 12 in the manner previously described and in all other respects the constructions of the pump boxes are identical.

As previously set forth, the pump box of the present invention is intended to be located beneath a gasoline dispenser in a service station. After installation of the pump box, the particular make of safety valve being used is secured to the mounting rail 26 and the entire assembly positioned so that the valve inlet and outlet are properly aligned. To accomplish this, the safety valve 40 is secured to the mounting rail 26 by placing the clamp band 54 around the valve body and by tightening the nuts 56 until the valve is firmly clamped to rail 26. The clamp band 54 may be spread or compressed slightly to accommodate different valve sizes or configurations and the entire valve assembly may be horizontally adjusted by sliding the bolts 48 and Washer 50 endwise along the mounting rail 26. Nuts 38 are loosened and by sliding bolts 36 in guide slots 24 the mounting rail 26 and safety valve 40 are located at the proper height. Preferably, the valve body is positioned so that the shear point 46 of the safety valve is in a common plane with the top edges of the pump box housing 12, thereby permitting the valve to be sheared at this point should the gasoline dispenser be overturned. After the safety valve 40 is positioned at the proper height, the mounting rail and valve are horizontally adjusted laterally toward or away from walls 14 and 16 by moving end plates 32 to change the relative position of bolts 36 in the slots 34. Then nuts 38 are retightened. By providing a pair of bolts 36 at each end of the rail, undesirable pivoting of the rail is avoided. Nuts 38 are easily reached for effecting vertical and one horizontal adjustment because slots 24 in the end mounting brackets 22 are spaced a sufiicient distance from the side walls 18 to provide clearance for a wrench or other tool. All necessary adjustments can be made in situ after the pump box is installed in the service island.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. Pump box apparatus comprising:

a housing,

a mounting rail,

means for adjustably securing said mounting rail to said housing to permit adjustment of said rail in any of two different directions, and

means for adjustably securing a safety valve to said mounting rail, said valve-securing means being adjustable along the rail in a third direction whereby the position of a valve carried by the valve-securing means is adjustable in any of the three directions.

2. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 1. wherein said means for adjustably securing said mounting rail to said housing comprises a fastener passing through a pair of mutually perpendicular slots formed respectively in said mounting rail and said housing.

3. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said means for adjustably securing said safety valve to said mounting rail comprises a clamp band adapted to be disposed around said valve and a pair of fasteners securing said clamp band to said rail.

4. Pump box apparatus comprising:

a housing having two spaced side walls,

a pair of end mounting brackets secured to the side walls of said housing, said brackets having guide slots formed therein,

a mounting rail having a pair of slotted transverse end plates secured to its ends, fasteners passing through said guide slots and end plate slots to secure said rail in said housing and to permit adjustment of said rail in any of two different directions, and

means including a clamp band and a pair of fastenersfor adjustably securing a safety valve to said mounting rail, said clamp band and fasteners being slidable in a third direction along the length of said rail whereby said safety valve may be adjustably positioned in any of three different directions.

5. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said guide slots and end plate slots are disposed in mutually perpendicular planes for permitting adjustment of the position of said mounting rail in either of said planes.

6. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said slots in said mounting brackets are spaced from said side Walls over a portion of their length for permitting adjustment of the position of said mounting rail with respect to said housing after the latter has been installed within a service station island.

7. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said mounting rail is comprised of spaced upper and lower plates, and said fasteners pass through a retaining washer and between said rail plates to engage said clamp band.

8. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 4 further comprising a second clamp band and pair of fasteners for adjustably securing a second safety valve to said mounting rail for dual valve installations.

9. Pump box apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein there are two spaced and generally parallel slots in each end plate and a bolt passing through each end plate slot into the guide slots to prevent pivotal movement of the rail.

10. Universal pump box apparatus comprising a generally rectangular housing open at both the top and bottom,

a pair of end mounting brackets secured to opposed side walls of said housing, said brackets being spaced from said side walls over a major portion of their length and having vertically disposed guide slots. formed in the portions spaced from the side walls,

a mounting rail comprising spaced upper and lower plates having secured to their ends a pair of transverse end plates, said end plates having horizontally disposed elongate slots formed therein, said rail being secured to said housing for adjustment in both a ing slidable along said rail between said end plates in a horizontal direction, whereby a plurality of safety valves of different sizes and configurations can be mounted in the apparatus and adjusted in situ in any vertical and horizontal direction by a pair of thread- 5 of three difierent directions to locate the valves at ed fasteners passing through said guide slots and elonthe desired position relative to the apparatus. gate slots, and

means for adjusta-bly securing a safety valve to said efe ences Cited mounting rail, said means comprising a generally UNITED STATES PATENTS semicircular clamp band having a pair of apertured 1 end flanges, a pair of spaced threaded bolts project- 0 X et ing through a U-shaped washer disposed on one side 2965342 12/1960 s 248-57 of said rail, said bolts passing between said upper 2982508 5/1961 3 and lower rail plates and said apertured clamp band 3291296 12/1966 zgji gg 1 flanges on the other side of said rail and having a 1 nut threaded thereon, said clamp band and bolts be- JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner, 

1. PUMP BOX APPARATUS COMPRISING: A HOUSING, A MOUNTING RAIL, MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING SAID MOUNTING RAIL TO SAID HOUSING TO PERMIT ADJUSTMENT OF SAID RAIL IN ANY OF TWO DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS, AND MEANS FOR ADJUSTABLY SECURING A SAFETY VALVE TO SAID MOUNTING RAIL, SAID VALVE-SECURING MEANS BEING ADJUSTABLE ALONG THE RAIL IN A THIRD DIRECTION WHEREBY THE POSITION OF A VALVE CARRIED BY THE VALVE-SECURING MEANS IS ADJUSTABLE IN ANY OF THE THREE DIRECTIONS. 